Details of McGurk murder plan emerge

As the details of Lucky Gattellari's life around the time of the 2009 contract killing of businessman Michael McGurk emerged at a Sydney court this week, the figure presented was in stark contrast to the one at his sentence hearing earlier this year.

Gone were the references to fundraisers for Bowel Cancer Research and schools.

Instead he was a man who wielded money and standover men.

The former featherweight boxing champion was sentenced in May for his part in the September 3, 2009 shooting of Mr McGurk at the front of his Cremorne home on Sydney's north shore.

Gattellari received a heavy discount on his prison term in exchange for evidence against his former friend and associate, property developer Ron Medich.

At the time of his murder Mr McGurk was embroiled in several legal disputes with Medich over properties amounting to about $7 million.

Of the five men charged over the murder, only Medich and Estephan maintain their innocence and are facing committal hearings to decide whether they should stand trial.

Curious lawyers, media and court watchers packed into Sydney's Central Local Court this week as the committals began, and heard how a host of electrical businesses - owned and funded by Medich's RIV Group - were run by Gattellari.

Gattellari said he couldn't remember what companies he actually directed, later retorting: "Ninety per cent of everything I did for Medich was illegal, I never kept any records of anything."

Matthew Crockett, a standover man who formed part of Gattellari's "legal team", was allegedly asked to kneecap someone and stick a gun down another's throat.

He says he did neither.

But some of the most telling remarks relating to Gattellari come from Safetli - who was sentenced last week to at least seven years for Mr McGurk's hit and the subsequent intimidation of his widow Kimberley.

In a series of induced police statements obtained by AAP, Safetli describes how he agreed to the hit.

In about April 2009, he said he met Gattellari at his Chipping Norton home in Sydney's west.

"Lucky brought a bottle of spirits to the table ... He looked directly at my face. Lucky said, `I want him gone'.

"I did not say a word and lifted the glass that I had in front of me and finished it in one go and then Lucky poured me some more."

Moments later Safetli said Gattellari brought out a bag of cash and handed him $50,000, while offering a further $250,000 once the hit was complete.

As the months passed and Gattellari and Kaminic continued to apply pressure, Safetli went to the now-infamous Tuscany restaurant in Leichhardt.

It was here, former business associate Kim Shipley told the hearing, that Gattellari - flanked by "Asian women" and carrying thousands of dollars in cash - wooed businessmen and Labor party figures.

Gattellari - who was known to sip cognac throughout the morning - would rarely come back to the office after these lunches, Mr Shipley said.

But when Safetli met Gattellari at Tuscany there was no mention of politicians or prostitutes.

After sitting down at a table, Safetli told police, Gattellari said: "Ron is very angry, it's been about five months and nothing is done."

Gattellari later returned to the table with Medich.

Safetli alleges Medich asked: "Are you sure you can get this job done in four weeks?"

By September 3, Safetli allegedly recruited Estephan, a nephew's friend, to help pull off the hit.

The baby-faced teen took drugs and was known to lose his temper, allegedly clobbering somebody on the Great Western Highway, Safetli told police.

But by the morning of Mr McGurk's murder Safetli, now 47, was deeply stressed.